About The Novel

Raves & Praise

"Beautifully detailed and rich in exceptional characterization ... Curran's novel gently reminds readers that fantasy has a place in everyone's life, and dreams can come true. Uniquely uplifting and never didactic, this is a gem." -BOOKLIST, starred review

"With a masterful wit and clever twists, Sheila Curran has created an intricately woven mystery. Captivating, fast-paced, no-holds-barred storytelling, DIANA LIVELY IS FALLING DOWN defies pigeon-holing. Wrestling the complexities of motherhood, loss and betrayal, politics, the environment, and theme parks, it is at once intimate, domestic, and worldly. A debut to celebrate!" -Julianna Baggott, GIRLTALK, THE MISS AMERICA FAMILY, THE MADAM

"Brilliant, touching, and funny as hell, Diana Lively packs a powerful punch. A poignant and biting satire of contemporary family life, American business, ivory-tower academics, and trans-Atlantic cultural differences, this spirited romp through an Englishwoman's Arizona deserves a unique place of honor on any bookshelf. Diana is one of those stories that can linger forever in one's own memory and imagination, as a reference point for every new book that comes along, or even more, for life itself. Wry, engaging, and wise beyond words, Diana is bound to delight and amaze." -Carlos Eire, 2003 National Book Award winner, WAITING FOR SNOW IN HAVANA

"DIANA LIVELY IS FALLING DOWN is a terrific pick-me-up. You couldn't find two more disparate landscapes than Oxford, England and Arizona, and that's exactly what one British woman discovers when she crosses the pond to find herself a fish-out-of-water -- only to realize that for the first time in her life, this means she can stand on her own two feet. Filled with characters who make you laugh out loud even as they break your heart, this is a funny, warm, inventive, original book."
-Jodi Picoult, NYT bestselling author of VANISHING ACTS and MY SISTER'S KEEPER

Traffic

Okay, I'm departing from my light literary tone to go off on you. Perhaps it has to do with weaning myself from my pain meds but I have NO patience.

A pastor in my old home town of Phoenix/Tempe had a death prayer list and spoke fiercely about why Obama should die for his support of a woman's right to terminate her own pregnancy and for his health care agenda. Here's a video clip of the news covering this man's speech from the pulpit of a Baptist church from CNN. news video of shrieking pastor's sermon.

A few days after the speech, one of this so-called Christian man's congregation showed up to Obama's speech carrying an assault weapon. My point. Why isn't this pastor and the congregant in jail for threatening the life of an Amercian president? I can tell you one thing. If he was an Imam who said he wished the president were dead, and someone from his mosque showed up with an assault rifle, dollars to donuts, both of those guys would be sitting in a cell trying to tranlate "Don't bend over to pick up the soap" into Arabic at this very moment.

What really alarms me is how insane these people are. They have demonized the Democrats, and worse, they've appropriated the teachings of Jesus Christ to do so. How dare they? I haven't really been so sure a loving God would create something like Hell before, but it's tempting to hope anyone so blindly stupid as to misinterpret Christian teachings so radically would be sent there for at least long enough to realize how wrong they got it. My mother was raised a Baptist. She would later convert to Catholicism when she married my father. I went to Catholic schools all my life. The message I was taught was simple. Love they neighbor as thy self. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Turn the other cheek. Need I go on?

Seriously folks, stupidity on this level is downright dangerous. I respect your right to quote the Bible, but not to get it so incredibly wrong, or to "cherry pick" those sections that let you justify your own hatred. I'll never forget a mom who volunteered in the same Phoenix kindergarten class as I did, telling me she wouldn't let the boy next door play with her children because his parents were gay. She said, and I quote, "I talked to my husband about it and he said, God didn't mean you really have to love your neighbor. That's not what He meant."

I was speechless, and also afraid that if I spoke up, she'd excommunicate my own son from her family's home. By the time I got my words (and courage) together, another mom (a devout Christian) had said, "I know some very nice gay people." I added, "I think, actually, the Bible does mean you're supposed to treat your neighbor as you'd wish to be treated."

Calm down, people!. Barack Obama is not the devil. Nor is the government. What happens to your patriotism when your party loses an election?

And, while we're at it, the Bible says a lot of things that you might want to take with a grain of salt, as this next link, a letter someone sent to me on Facebook, demonstrates. It's very funny and called, Why Can't I Own A Canadian?

My point? Do NOT BE SO AFRAID OF CHANGE IT MAKES YOU WANT TO GO OUT AND KILL SOMEONE! If you really want to commit acts of violence to defend your country, ENLIST. Seriously. MAN UP! I may have my doubts about how active God is in our daily lives, but I have no doubt at all that if Jesus Christ were on earth today, he'd want every American to have access to a doctor when they got sick. And remember. Government is not the boogey-man. Don't be so selective that you forget the other things government does in your lives. If you've ever called 911, you've asked the government for help. If you've ever honored a veteran (I'm the proud daughter of a WW II fighter pilot) or enrolled your child in a public school or driven on a highway, you've participated in a government program. Besides, as we might have all predicted, Max Bauchus' bill doesn't even include a public option. (Does anyone else think it's strange that two of his top aides are former lobbyists for the health insurance industry?)

Anyhow folks. Take a chill pill. And maybe don't accept everything you hear from a man of the cloth just because he claims to be a minister. So was Jim Jones, and at least his followers only killed themselves..

How perfect is it that I get to steal another writer's interview for a book that's all about stealing someone else's creative design? Before I post the interview (generously donated by Judy Merrill Larsen) writer of the fabulous ALL THE NUMBERS, let's talk about Hank Phillipi Ryan. Like so many of my cyber circuit girlfriends, her accomplishments are intimidating. Like, man, they scare me. Emmy winning TV reporter in Boston, has already written three mysteries in her spare time, and looks like she spends most of her time getting spa treatments and Hollywood stylings. Not to objectify her but here's a picture because I don't think you can 'get' her dynamism without looking at her.

Not only is she gorgeous, she's smart and witty and won an Agatha Award for a first novel, the opening to this mystery series set in TV land. None other than the dean of mystery writers, the don of Boston suspense novelists, Robert Parker said of her

She's also been a BookSense pick and is the September featured mystery on Barnes and Noble website. And what does she do with this opportunity for domination and cyber-fame? Just the opposite of what you'd expect. She offers her fellow writers a chance to promote their books. (I'll be up later in the month.) This is one classy woman. I don't know yet if she knew Ted Kennedy but in a week where the man's generosity is celebrated it's hard not to think there's something in that Boston water that promotes what Obama called a 'large-heartedness."

In that spirit, here are the covers of all her books, which, I believe, you must order in succession to appreciate.

Imagine the research I had to do into the world of designer purses! It was tough, but someone had to dive in…

Actually, Charlie’s investigation into the world of counterfeit couture came s straight from been there-done that. In my day job as a TV reporter, my producer (not Franklin!) and I have done several in-depth investigations into the world of knock-offs—not only purses and scarves, but blue jeans and watches and DVDs and videos.

We went undercover and with a hidden camera—like Charlie does—into various back-alley stores where counterfeit merchandise was being sold, and also into some suburban purse parties where women—certainly knowing they were fake and thinking was fine—were scooping up piles of counterfeit Burberrys and Chanels.

You should know— law enforcement tells us, it’s not illegal to buy the purses—unless you’re buying large amounts that are obviously for resale. The illegality is in the copying and manufacture and sale of what’s clearly a trademarked and proprietary item. (As the elegant fashion exec Zuzu Mazny-Latos tells Charlie in AIR TIME—it’s like taking Gone with the Wind—and putting your name on the cover.)

Anyway—lots of AIR TIME is based on research and reality—besides the undercover work, and the research, I’ve done many interviews with the federal agencies in charge of battling counterfeiting, the attorneys who help big companies protest their products, and even the private investigators the designers hire to scout out counterfeits.

2.)Are you more driven by plot or by character?

Ah, it's both. I start with one little germ of a plot twist--and then figure out how Charlie is going to figure it out! So I know what I know--and she knows what she knows. And then she has to solve the mystery--based on what I let her know.

3.) Who's your favorite character in this book and why?

Oh, I can't possibly answer that. Charlie McNally is dear to my heart of course. When my husband talks about Charlie, he calls her “you.” As in: when “you” get chased by the bad guys, or when “you” get held at gunpoint. And I have to remind him, “Sweetheart, it’s fiction.” But Charlie can say things I can’t say about the reality of television, and because she’s fictional, she can go places I can’t go. And say things I can’t say!

And the very sweet 8-year-old Penny, I must say, touches me every time I write about her And I get so many letters from readers, concerned about her, and asking about her, and who I based her on. But really? She’s right out of my imagination. (She’s the character who sometimes makes readers cry...along with Charlie’s mother. I guess family relationships are sometimes—universal.)

And in AIR TIME there’s a new character . a gorgeous FBI agent named Keresey Stone. She’s amazing. And unpredictable. But I wonder what you’ll think about her?

3.) What's your writing process/writing environment like?

I’ve been a television reporter since 19, um, 75. I’m still on the air at Boston’s NBC affiliate, and still at work as an investigative reporter. (And I’m always hoping my best story ever is just around the corner.) So I come to work at Channel 7 every morning—tracking down clues, doing research, hoping for justice and looking for a great story that will change people’s lives. (Hmm..sounds a lot like mystery writing!)

Then at night we go back home—and when I’m in writing mode, I write til about ten pm, in a wonderful study that’s lined with bookshelves. I admit—I have a cluttered desk, and no real filing system, except for “piles.” But I know where everything is. I like it to be quiet.. At the TV station, it’s chaotic and loud, with three TV’s blasting all the time—and I can work fine there! But at home, with the books—quiet.

Because my schedule is so tight, I keep track of my words. If I know I have to write 90,000 words by the deadline, I literally divide that number by the number of days I have—and then set that as a goal. I try to write maybe—two pages a day. And on weekends, more. If I can do that, I’m thrilled.

I push my way through a first draft. I say to myself—just get the story down. Just do it. And you can fix it later.

Then I cook dinner, and my husband and I have a very late dinner together! You can imagine how patient he is!

I used to be a pretty good cook, and diligent about exercise. My husband and I gave dinner parties and went to movies and went on vacation. Sigh. That’s all pretty much over. I have a full time job as reporter, a full time job as a mystery author, and a full time job as a wife (with two step-children and two step-grandchildren!) That doesn’t leave much time for much else.

4.) What's your favorite part of writing?

Revision, no question. I love that. You have this whole first draft, and you get to go back and see what you really have. I often have wonderful revelations when I read over the first draft—there are themes and rhythms and even clues that I didn’t realize were there! It’s always so rewarding.

And after 30 years in TV, I know how valuable editing is—so I look at it as a real treat. To get to polish, and tweak, and rearrange, and make it all shine—oh, it’s great fun.

The other favorite part—when readers love the books. I can’t tell you how often I’m out on a story, for instance, and a stranger will come up to me , and pull the book out of a purse or briefcase, and ask me to sign it. I can barely resist bursting into tears. It somehow completes the writing, you know? when someone reads it.

5.) What's the best piece of advice you've ever gotten about writing?

There’s a plaque on my bulletin board with the question: “What would you attempt to do if you know you could not fail?” That gives me a lot of courage.

Hank’s giving away five ARC’s of PRIME TIME to readers…to enter the drawing contact her through her website and put ‘PRIME TIME ARC’ in the subject line!